植物印迹基因研究进展

印迹基因的表达受表观机制调控,依据其亲本来源在植物胚乳中表现为单等位基因表达的特殊模式。这些基因在调控胚及其附属结构的发育、控制种子的大小、生殖隔离以及防止无性生殖上发挥着关键作用。随着植物表观遗传学研究的不断深入,目前对于印迹基因的探索已逐渐成为表观遗传学研究的热点。文章介绍了关于印迹基因起源的亲本冲突学说,并以拟南芥的MEA、FIS2、FWA、MPC、PHE1,玉米的FIE1、FIE2等重要印迹基因为例,阐述了有关植物印迹基因的表达调控机制及最新研究进展。     

印迹基因及其对胚胎发育的调控

某个基因位点呈单等位基因表达,且通过某种基因修饰作用来特异地抑制另一等位基因的表达,将这一基因称为印迹基因,它是等位基因排斥作用的一种特殊形式. 多数印迹基因与胚胎发育有关,可以调节胚胎的生长、发育及新生儿的生长,印迹功能的紊乱可以导致多种发育异常及死胎. 印迹基因的形成、特异识别及印迹性表达缺陷的机制还不清楚.     

成人腹泻轮状病毒蛋白的免疫印迹分析

我们从腹泻病人便样中纯化了病毒,其结构蛋白组分按分子量大小分别为VP1(136K),VP2(113K),VP3(92K),VP4(84K),VP5(64K),VP6(47K),VP7(41K)。所有这些蛋白皆具有抗原性。WP6是B组轮状病毒的共同抗原。B组轮状病毒的每一结构蛋白与A组轮状病毒都无交叉免疫反应。另外注意到二例不同病人对VP6和VP7刺激产生的抗体水平不同。     

哺乳动物基因印迹及其与胚胎发育的关系

在哺乳动物,一些遗传性状表现出亲本依赖性,只有当这些性状从父本或母本继承来才能够表现出来。目前已知有两种类型的亲本依赖性,第一种是由于雄性配子和雌性配子间遗传信息分布的不均衡所致,如由线粒体基因、Ｙ染色体相连基因和母体效应基因等编码的性状;第二种即为...     

PcG蛋白复合体对Hox基因调节的研究

PcG蛋白广泛参与到生长、发育、增殖、分化以及肿瘤发生等重要过程.而目前为止对PcG蛋白的靶基因研究最透彻的就是Hox家族. Hox基因存在于一个高度保守的基因簇内,在调控维持正常发育及肿瘤发生中有重要作用.一般认为,PcG蛋白复合物对Hox基因进行以组蛋白表观修饰为主的沉默作用,指导Hox基因适时适地发挥功能. 同时,这个过程还需要DNA连接蛋白、ncRNA等分子的辅助.本文对Hox基因和PcG蛋白的组成和功能进行介绍,并重点归纳总结了对二者关系的经典和最新认识.     

大肠癌IGF2基因的印迹丢失

胰岛素样生长因子2(IGF2)基因属于印迹基因,它的表达产物IGF2对促进正常生长发育具有重要作用。IGF2印迹丢失(loss of imprinting,LOI)与肿瘤发生密切相关。在大肠癌中,IGF2印迹丢失尤其明显。最近的研究证实,IGF2印迹丢失可以作为大肠癌发生危险性的分子标记。本文对IGF2基因及大肠癌印迹丢失方面的研究作一简要综述。     

检测HIV的蛋白印迹和ELISA检测方法学比较

为了寻找一种适合大批量标本测定且具有高敏感性、高特异性的艾滋病临床实验室检测方法。比较了艾滋病检测的蛋白印迹实验和酶联免疫吸附实验两种方法,并采用不同厂家生产的不同代酶免试剂和对已确诊为阴性和阳性的标本进行比较测定。结果科华一代、二代、三代和四代酶免试剂盒的功效率分别是83．7、92．13、97．50和85.3;万泰一代、二代、三代和四代功效率分别是83．5、95．88、97．10和84．2;蛋白印迹实验的功效率是99．5。所以酶联免疫吸附实验更适合大批量标本的检测,而第三代酶免试剂具有更高的特异性和敏感性。     

环境因素所致印迹基因改变与子代器官发育

印迹基因是由大约100个基因组成的一类特殊子集,主要以亲本单等位基因的方式表达,对胚胎的生长发育具有重要作用.近年来发现,环境因素所引起的印迹基因表观遗传修饰改变可造成胎儿多脏器发育不良甚至成年后多疾病易感,且存在多代遗传效应.本文基于国内外最新研究进展,总结了印迹基因表达改变对个体发育阶段以及生命后期器官功能的影响,...     

Molecular mechanisms underlying cTAGE5/MEA6-mediated cargo transport and biological functions

Coat protein complex II (COPII)-coated vesicles are responsible for transporting the cargoes from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to different destinations. cTAGE5/MEA6 is essential for the development and function of different organs. It regulates the assembly of COPII carrier and cargo trafficking through direct or indirect interaction with COPII components. cTAGE5/MEA6 mainly coordinates with another scaffold protein, TANGO1, to play essential roles in the trafficking and secretion of both large and small cargoes in multiple organs. In this viewpoint, we would like to discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying cTAGE5/MEA6-mediated cargo transport and biological functions.     

Meal-stimulated and atropine-inhibited secretion of pancreatic polypeptide in healthy subjects, members of MEA I families and patients with malignant endocrine tumours of the gastrointestinal tract

Pancreatic polypeptide has been suggested as a marker for endocrine malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract. However, the secretion of PP shows great intra- and inter-individual variation, causing both false negative and positive results. In order to reduce these risks, we have evaluated a new combined stimulatory and inhibitory test of PP secretion. Six healthy subjects, 23 members of three MEA I families, seven patients with malignant pancreatic endocrine tumours and four patients with carcinoid tumours of the gastrointestinal tract were subjected to a standardized test meal, followed by intravenous atropine 60 min after the start of the meal. Serum PP was monitored during 2 h. In healthy subjects the meal caused a rapid increase in serum PP within 20 min and intravenous atropine caused a significant (P less than 0.05) decrease of serum PP within 15 min. Patients with malignant endocrine pancreatic tumours or carcinoids had a delayed response after the test meal, with maximum levels at 45 min, but still with a significant inhibition by atropine. Even tumour patients with initially normal or slightly increased basal PP levels showed this secretion pattern. Healthy members of MEA I families displayed identical PP curves to healthy subjects, whereas members with elevated basal PP levels who had been previously affected by hyperparathyroidism and/or prolactinomas showed similar secretion patterns to pancreatic tumour patients. We think that a meal stimulatory test is of great value in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal endocrine tumours and also in the identification of subjects with the MEA I trait, who are at high risk of having pancreatic endocrine tumours.     

High efficiency,Site-specific Transfection of Adherent Cells with siRNA Using Microelectrode Arrays (MEA)

The discovery of RNAi pathway in eukaryotes and the subsequent development of RNAi agents, such as siRNA and shRNA, have achieved a potent method for silencing specific genes^1-8 for functional genomics and therapeutics. A major challenge involved in RNAi based studies is the delivery of RNAi agents to targeted cells. Traditional non-viral delivery techniques, such as bulk electroporation and chemical transfection methods often lack the necessary spatial control over delivery and afford poor transfection efficiencies^9-12. Recent advances in chemical transfection methods such as cationic lipids, cationic polymers and nanoparticles have resulted in highly enhanced transfection efficiencies¹³. However, these techniques still fail to offer precise spatial control over delivery that can immensely benefit miniaturized high-throughput technologies, single cell studies and investigation of cell-cell interactions. Recent technological advances in gene delivery have enabled high-throughput transfection of adherent cells^14-23, a majority of which use microscale electroporation. Microscale electroporation offers precise spatio-temporal control over delivery (up to single cells) and has been shown to achieve high efficiencies^{19, 24-26}. Additionally, electroporation based approaches do not require a prolonged period of incubation (typically 4 hours) with siRNA and DNA complexes as necessary in chemical based transfection methods and lead to direct entry of naked siRNA and DNA molecules into the cell cytoplasm. As a consequence gene expression can be achieved as early as six hours after transfection²⁷. Our lab has previously demonstrated the use of microelectrode arrays (MEA) for site-specific transfection in adherent mammalian cell cultures^17-19. In the MEA based approach, delivery of genetic payload is achieved via localized micro-scale electroporation of cells. An application of electric pulse to selected electrodes generates local electric field that leads to electroporation of cells present in the region of the stimulated electrodes. The independent control of the micro-electrodes provides spatial and temporal control over transfection and also enables multiple transfection based experiments to be performed on the same culture increasing the experimental throughput and reducing culture-to-culture variability. Here we describe the experimental setup and the protocol for targeted transfection of adherent HeLa cells with a fluorescently tagged scrambled sequence siRNA using electroporation. The same protocol can also be used for transfection of plasmid vectors. Additionally, the protocol described here can be easily extended to a variety of mammalian cell lines with minor modifications. Commercial availability of MEAs with both pre-defined and custom electrode patterns make this technique accessible to most research labs with basic cell culture equipment.     

Polycomb-group （Pc-G） Proteins Control Seed Development in Arabidopsis thaliana L.

Polycomb-group （Pc-G） proteins repress their target gene expression by assemble complexes in Drosophila and mammals. Three groups of Pc-G genes, controlling seed development, flower development and vernalization response, have been identified in Arabidopsis （Arabidopsis thaliana L.）. MEDEA （MEA）, FERTILIZATION INDEPENDENT SEED2 （FIS2）, and FERTILIZATION INDEPENDENT ENDOSPERM （FIE） are Pc-G genes in Arabidopsis. Their functions in seed development have been extensively explored. The advanced findings of molecular mechanism on how MEA, FIS2 and FIE control seed development in Arabidopsis are reviewed in this paper.     

Hybrid 3D-Ordered Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) with Highly Stable Structure,Enlarged Interface,and Ultralow Ir Loading by Doping Nano TiO2 Nanoparticles for Water Electrolyzer

Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is a very promising and sustainable hydrogen production technology. Currently, there is a growing interest in achieving ordered structures within membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for PEMWE. However, both ordered electron conductor and ordered proton conductor structures are single component structure, which still have many shortcomings. In this work, a hybrid ordered membrane electrodes assembly based on cone-shaped is constructed Nafion array with rough surface by introducing TiO₂ nanoparticles to Nafion emulsion. As a result, this hybrid ordered MEA achieves a high surface roughness of 3.39 nm that is 2.64 times higher than that of ordered MEA without TiO₂ nanoparticles doped and current density up to 2.48 A cm⁻² at 2 V with 14.4 µg cm⁻² (Ir) catalyst loading. This work provides a new hybrid ordered structure for MEA and exhibits the great potential of enhancing the interfacial contact between the catalyst layer and Nafion membrane to improve PEMWE performance.     

Arabidopsis MSI1 is a component of the MEA/FIE Polycomb group complex and required for seed development

Seed development in angiosperms initiates after double fertilization, leading to the formation of a diploid embryo and a triploid endosperm. The active repression of precocious initiation of certain aspects of seed development in the absence of fertilization requires the Polycomb group proteins MEDEA (MEA), FERTILIZATION-INDEPENDENT ENDOSPERM (FIE) and FERTILIZATION-INDEPENDENT SEED2. Here we show that the Arabidopsis WD-40 domain protein MSI1 is present together with MEA and FIE in a 600 kDa complex and interacts directly with FIE. Mutant plants heterozygous for msi1 show a seed abortion ratio of 50% with seeds aborting when the mutant allele is maternally inherited, irrespective of a paternal wild-type or mutant MSI1 allele. Further more, msi1 mutant gametophytes initiate endosperm development in the absence of fertilization at a high penetrance. After pollination, only the egg cell becomes fertilized, the central cell starts dividing prior to fertilization, resulting in the formation of seeds containing embryos surrounded by diploid endosperm. Our results establish that MSI1 has an essential function in the correct initiation and progression of seed development.